


fireworks show

by intricate_glass_box



Series: Lex and the Actor [5]
Category: markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Dating, Day At The Beach, Established Relationship, Fireworks, Love, Nonbinary Character, Original Character(s), Other, Picnics, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:27:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25768165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intricate_glass_box/pseuds/intricate_glass_box
Summary: Mark and Lex haven’t been out on a date in a while. Lex suggests a fireworks show on the coast they’d heard about, and they make a day of it.
Relationships: Actor Mark/Original Character
Series: Lex and the Actor [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1855654
Kudos: 6





	fireworks show

“Mmmmm, Mark, take me somewhere,” Lex said, leaning on the counter as the Actor chopped vegetables for their dinner. 

“What? I’m already making dinner,” he objected as he popped a carrot slice in his mouth. He’d gotten quite good at cooking, in his opinion. (Lex would add the qualifier that he was pretty good… for someone who’d only had to start cooking for himself a few years ago.) 

“No, like, this weekend. Take me somewhere. It’s been too long since we’ve been on a real date,” Lex explained. 

The Actor hummed as he worked. Leaving the manor at all was a risk, and though going out with Lex was enjoyable for both of them, it was an _unnecessary_ risk. 

“There’s a fireworks show at the beach up the coast,” Lex sing-songed, then added more seriously: “I’d love to go to the beach, Mark.” Clearly, this was a premeditated conversation — they’d done some research. 

The Actor gave them a small smile. He wasn’t particularly interested in going to the beach for its own sake, but he would enjoy a fireworks show. “We could take a picnic. Make an afternoon of it,” he suggested. 

Lex’s eyes sparkled. “I’d love that!!” 

Mark’s smile grew. “Alright, then, when is it?” 

“This weekend!” Lex came around the counter to plant a kiss on his cheek, but he turned, capturing their lips. “Gimme a sec! I’ll get my computer to show you the details!” 

They were clearly excited, bounding out of the room even as the Actor replied, “Alright, my love,” amused at their reaction and pleased he could make them so happy… although he might’ve preferred their help with the food prep. 

———

The show was Saturday evening at dusk, so they set off after lunch at the manor. The Actor drove, and when they hit the highway, Lex was about halfway out the window, moving their hand through the air currents and enjoying the feeling of the wind in their hair. 

Mark was a little worried they’d end up hurting themself, or getting them pulled over — his license was fake, of course, so he’d really rather it not be put up to scrutiny — so he reached over and poked at the music controls until a song he knew Lex loved came on. They could hear enough of it carried out on the wind that they gasped, pulling back inside and rolling the window up so the sounds wouldn’t have to compete. 

“I love this song!” Lex said quickly, just before the lyrics started up. When they did, Lex cranked up the volume, singing along loudly. 

They’d played the song enough that Mark knew a good amount of the words, so when the chorus hit, he joined in, belting out the lyrics with them. Lex was a little too enthusiastic at the moment to stay particularly on key, but Mark didn’t mind — certainly not when they were having so much fun. 

The song ended, and Lex giggled, trying halfheartedly to fix their hair where it had been wrecked by the wind with their fingers in the flip-down mirror. “Love you, Mark,” they said. 

“Love you, too, Lex.” 

———

They’d packed sandwiches and crunchy vegetables and chips and fruit and chocolates — probably way more than they’d eat, but they had a bountiful selection to enjoy. Lex had brought a swimsuit and several beach towels, in part because they hoped to sway Mark into joining them in swimming. Mark had found a big umbrella that they hoped to anchor in the sand, and they’d each brought reading material.

The fireworks would be shot off from an island within swimming distance of the coast, and the official spot to come watch was the beach directly facing it. Lex and the Actor planned to sacrifice a bit of the view for more privacy and had scouted out a different beach slightly further up the coast. 

When they arrived, crawling into the small parking lot, there were only a few other cars. Lex scanned what they could see of the beach and spotted a surfer, and maybe another couple.

Mark parked, and Lex got out of the car quickly to stretch their legs. “I’m so glad it’s not crowded,” they enthused. Now that they were standing, they also saw a couple of families camped out on the beach, but since they had smaller children, Lex wagered that they probably wouldn’t stay for the fireworks. 

“Me too. Wanna grab our bags, and I’ll grab the cooler?” Mark proposed, popping the trunk. 

“Gotcha,” Lex said, digging around the backseat. 

They set up at the spot most distant from the other beachgoers, and luckily as the sun was still high overhead could enjoy a good amount of shade from their umbrella.

Once they were set up, Lex said, “I’m gonna swim first. I wanna do it earlier so I can be dry before the sun goes down.” 

“…Okay,” the Actor replied, sounding a little put-out. They were supposed to be spending time together today. He knew Lex wanted to swim, but ditching him right away was a little cold. 

“You could come with me,” Lex suggested. 

“No, no. I don’t swim,” the Actor replied, shaking his head. 

Lex frowned for a second before saying, “Fine! Watch our stuff, then, while I go have fun.” They kissed the Actor before running off to change into their swimclothes, leaving him pouting on the blanket. 

—

Lex greatly enjoyed the waves — the push and pull that gently moved them to and fro, and they even came up laughing from the unusually strong one that had pulled them just beyond where they could stand before crashing over their head. It was hot out, but that just meant the water was comfortable, and it sparkled beautifully in the sun. Despite all that, though, swimming was less fun alone. A couple of times they’d waved to the Actor when they caught him looking, but he’d only shook his head when they motioned for him to join them, so they eventually got bored and crawled out. 

“Mark! I’m back!” 

“Finally,” he mumbled, looking at a magazine. 

“What,” Lex complained, “you want me to come to the beach and _not swim_?” 

“That’s what _I’m_ doing, and I’m enjoying myself just fine.” He marked his place and put it aside. 

“You liar; you spent the whole time I was gone annoyed,” Lex teased. “Anyway, throw me a towel; I don’t wanna get the blanket soaked. I’d get changed, but I’ll probably go back in.” Mark chucked a towel in an arc that looked suspiciously like it had been aimed at Lex’s head, but they caught it. “And drag you with me,” Lex added. 

“You’ll do no such thing,” Mark warned. 

Lex ignored the warning, laying back and closing their eyes. “Tell me about what you were reading,” they said. 

— 

Lex laid on their towel and Mark on the blanket, chatting, for a while. Eventually, Lex decided they were going back in. Despite Lex’s best efforts at persuasion, Mark again refused to join them, but they enjoyed themself nonetheless. Mark was able to finish the entire magazine before they came back, and was now laying with it over his eyes. 

Lex flopped down on their towel again. “That’s enough; I’ll go get changed once I’m dryer.” 

“Good,” Mark replied, and Lex noticed he was half asleep. 

“…Are you gonna take a nap?”

“…maybe.” 

Lex peered over, making sure he was within the shade of the umbrella so he wouldn’t get burnt. “Okay, then. I’ll be quiet.” 

Mark gave a delayed hum in reply, a sure sign he really was falling asleep. Lex was a little amused that he was sleeping after the fuss he’d made about them spending time together, but they could tease him about it later. They hadn’t gotten to read their book yet, so they started in on that until they were dry enough to bother changing back into regular clothes.

Lex settled next to him in the shade on the blanket when they returned, resuming reading. 

—

When Mark stirred, he sat up quickly — before he was really awake. “Wha’ d’you mean you act’lly let me fall ‘sleep…” he slurred.

Lex giggled. “You were tired. It’s not like we’re in a rush. We’re here to do whatever we want.” 

He leaned heavily on them. “But now ‘m so groggy.” 

“Hey, hey, it’s too hot— get off,” Lex complained, shoving Mark off while still laughing lightly. “Why don’t we eat? It’ll wake you up. Here’s some water, too.” They handed him a water bottle, figuring he ought to rehydrate after sleeping where it was so hot. 

“Sounds good,” he mumbled, taking a swig. Lex gave him a minute to wake up properly, crawling around him to pull the cooler between them so they could dig through for the things they wanted.

Lex found their sandwich and turned to face the ocean. “It’s so pretty,” they commented. 

“Hmmm, yeah,” Mark agreed, digging into a bag of chips. 

“Would you come look for shells with me after we eat?”

“Is this a ploy to get me in the ocean?” 

“…No! Of course not!” Lex said, in their “this is a lie” voice. “Not really, though. I just want souvenirs.” 

Mark gave them a suspicious look, but let the issue drop. (It’s not like Lex wanted to get their regular clothes wet, so it wasn’t like they could do much… even if they’d thought about it.) “Okay. Those kids might’ve stolen all the pretty ones from over there; we’ll have to look further down,” Mark said.

“Darn kids.” 

After eating the real food — well, the sandwich and fruit could count as “real;” possibly the chips did not — Lex dug for the chocolates, displeased to find they’d been chilled by the ice packs. “Damn. These are frozen.” 

Mark reached over, grabbing one and popping it in his mouth. “Tastes fine to me.” 

“No way. If they’re cold, you lose some of the flavors. And they don’t melt in your mouth. No good.” Lex set them beside the cooler, in the shade. “Gonna go back for them in a few minutes.” They laid back on the blanket. 

Mark moved to lay beside them, resting a hand on their waist, which prompted them to turn towards him. 

“…Too hot, my love,” they complained. 

“Ah, I’m sorry, but I can’t exactly help it; I was born this handsome,” Mark joked back. 

“Very funny. Yes, you’re very handsome indeed.” Lex leaned forward to kiss him, something he happily returned, moving his hand from their waist to their face to pull them closer.

When they broke the kiss, Lex pushed his hand away. “No, really. I love you, but it’s just too damn hot. You’ll have to settle for holding my hand.”

“Well, that’s good too,” the Actor said, taking the hand Lex offered.

After a few minutes relaxing together, Lex spoke up. “Oh! Yeah! Did you want to go looking for shells? Let’s see if we can find any cool ones. If not, we can maybe do a second pass before the fireworks start.”

“Yeah, sure, Lex,” the Actor agreed, standing up. They headed down where the Actor had suggested earlier — further away from where the families had set up, both to avoid the kids currently playing in the water and for a better chance at undiscovered gems. 

They walked along where most of the waves stopped. Occasionally, an above-average swell would reach their ankles. (This was about as close as the Actor wanted to get to swimming.) They were both watching the ground for interesting shells. Lex would occasionally let go of Mark’s hand to kneel down in the sand and poke at one, waiting patiently with it held in one hand for the next wave to come up and clean it off.

“Ooooooh,” they breathed, holding the mostly-clean shell up for Mark to see. “Look at this one. It wasn’t complete — there was a significant chip out of one side — but it had lovely orange-striped coloring. 

“It’s beautiful,” Mark agreed with a smile. 

“I’m keeping this one!” Lex declared. “…We shoulda brought a baggie or something.”

“I’ve got pockets. Here.” Mark held his hand out for Lex to hand him the shell. He stowed it safely in an empty pocket. 

They kept going. Lex found a couple more that they liked, and then the Actor spoke up. “Oh, what’s this one?” Only a corner was visible, so he bent over to dig it up. It was one of the horn-shaped ones, and black and white without any damage.

Lex made an excited sound as they watched Mark turn it over in his hand. “Keep that one!! It’s so pretty!!” 

They kept going, wandering a bit apart. Further up the beach, the Actor saw a large white one wedged into the sand. “Lex, come look at this,” he called to his love, who was leaning down to rinse off something they’d found. 

“Yeah? What is it? I’ve got one more for your pocket, see?” Lex held up theirs. Another one like the first they’d found, but not as damaged, and a smooth dark grey. 

The Actor made an interested sound, then held up his finding. “Look at this.” It was a spiral, all white and seemingly worn down. Its spikes were all rounded off and it felt sand-blasted. 

“Whoa. This thing’s been on a journey. I wonder how old it is?” For the first time that day, Lex thought about the enormity of the ocean. They glanced out at it, taking in the vast horizon. “Damn.” 

Mark, as someone who’d lived more than a century and spent most of that time focusing on the scope of his own life, didn’t have the same perspective. “Hm?” 

Lex looked back at him. “That could be from somewhere humans have _never_ gone. Like, you see way out there?” They pointed to the horizon, where an undoubtably massive ship sailed, so far it was only a grey smudge. "There’s boats and stuff. We’ve sailed on _top_ of the oceans, but this thing could’ve come from the very bottom of the middle of the ocean. And like, coulda taken a millennia to get here! It could’ve been licked by some giant ass sea dinosaur that humanity doesn’t even _know_ about.” 

Mark’s lips quirked into a smile. “And yet you wonder why I don’t want to go swimming.” 

“It’s _cool_!” 

“It is cool,” Mark agreed. “We’ll keep this one, too.”

As he was putting it in the pocket, Lex stopped him. “Wait! What if it breaks?” 

“If it came from the deep ocean and dinosaur times, I’m sure it’s survived worse,” he pointed out. 

“Hmm, just be careful please!” 

“Also, I don’t think fish lick things,” Mark objected. 

Lex giggled. “Well, I dunno.”

They were coming up at the end of the beach. Mark’s pocket was rather full of shells, and Lex was dancing around in the area where the surf came up to their calves. Mark tentatively walked out to them. 

“Yay!” they said, taking his hand. It seemed they were about to say something else, but a _boom_ from down the coast interrupted them. Lex startled and Mark reached protectively around them before they both realized it had been a test firework and Lex straightened back up, smiling brightly and laughing lightly. “Guess we’re getting closer to the show!” 

On the way back to the blanket, they kept an eye out for any shells they’d missed the first time. The only really unique one was spotted by the Actor again. “Do you see that shiny one?” 

“Yeah!” Lex grabbed it. “Oh, it’s shiny ‘cause it’s smooth. Let me rinse it out.” They moved down to the water to do so, then plopped it in Mark’s hand. “Feel.” It was indeed very smooth. 

“I like it. Keep it?”

“Yeah!!” Lex said. “How many do we have?”

“A bunch. A good handful.”

“Awesome. Where are we gonna put them?” 

“Anywhere you want, really. Maybe one of the common rooms so we can get them out to look at them? We can get a nice box to lay them out in so they’ll be protected.”

Lex nodded. “Good idea.” 

On the return trip, they were facing the bulk of the beach and noticed more people had arrived. Luckily, none of the new blankets or beach chairs were so close to their blanket that they couldn’t speak quietly without being overheard. Two of the families from earlier were packing up to leave, too, so Lex had been right. 

As Lex sat back down, they realized something. “…Oh god. The chocolates.” 

Mark settled down beside them and laughed, watching as they grabbed the package. “Those are _so_ melted.”

“Auuugh. You’re right. I’m going to eat them anyway.”

“You really prefer melted chocolate over chilled chocolate?” 

“Any day,” Lex said, licking up the stuff. 

The Actor shook his head, chuckling. 

The sun had dipped low enough that their umbrella was no longer doing much for them in its upright position. Mark held a hand up to shield his eyes, regarding their setup. “What do you say we just lay this down? Then it’ll keep us shaded until the sun goes down.” 

“Oh, good idea. I’ll help.” Lex set the chocolate aside to help the Actor unearth the base of the umbrella and tip it over, facing the new location of the sun. If they laid behind its disk, they were mostly in the shade again, so they spent the rest of the daylight laying together eating melted chocolate out of the package. Another test firework went off, keeping them excited for the upcoming show.

—

The sun had sunk down below the horizon, but the band of the sky just above the horizon was still bright reds. What light remained left the rest of the sky an ever-deepening purple. The umbrella had become unnecessary, so Mark had closed it up and left it beside the blanket to take back up to the car after the show.

Suddenly, Lex noticed some bright spots in the darkness. “Ah, look! The first few stars are out.” They rolled onto their back, pointing to show the Actor.

Mark glanced up. He spied just a few — Lex had caught them early. “Are you gonna make a wish?” he asked. The Actor wasn’t one for wishing, but he thought Lex might be. 

Lex thought for a minute. There wasn’t anything like an item or event that they wanted to gun for, but they certainly had something worth spending a wish on. They didn’t make it immediately, instead asking the Actor, “Are you?”

“I don’t think wishing works.” 

“Neither do I, but I’m going to make one anyway.” In Lex’s opinion, the most likely outcome was nothing — that wishing on a star didn’t really do anything. However, taking a moment to put good intentions into the universe certainly couldn’t hurt, so they still made wishes. 

Lex closed their eyes, thinking hard on what they’d decided on. They imagined they were telling the star about it and ended up moving their hands a bit like they would gesture in conversation. Mark watched them without interrupting. He was a little amused to see them taking it so seriously, but seeing someone — especially someone who he loved so much — do something so genuinely left him with a warm feeling diffusing through his chest and a truly content smile on his face.

When Lex opened their eyes again, they gazed up at the star they’d seen first — the star they’d been addressing the wish to — and smiled before turning to Mark with a sparkle in their eye. …Despite his lack of belief in anything like this, he immediately swore it must be stolen starlight. 

But, Lex didn’t say anything. “…What’d you wish for?” Mark asked.

“Well, I can’t tell you! Then it won’t come true, Mark.” 

He was about to reply when another firework went off, and Lex sat up excitedly. “Is that another test, or is it starting?!” Lex asked. They both faced the direction of the island in time to see the small burst light the sky. 

“I bet it’s starting. It’s dark enough,” Mark said just before three in a row went up, exploding in blue, white, and yellow and confirming the show was starting for real. 

Lex wiggled excitedly. Mark sat up, scooting over to sit next to them and so he could put his arm around them. Lex gave him an excited smile, which he returned. 

They watched together. It didn’t seem their view had suffered much from their choice to move up the coast, and the show was spectacular with plenty of things to ooh and aah at, with occasionally whispered “That one was my new favorite”-s and a few “oh no, I think that one was a dud”-s. 

An hour or so later, the show ended with a cacophonous finale, leaving only the smoke rising into the air and a heavy quiet. A cheer went up from the further-down beach that they could hear dimly from where they sat, with a few of the people nearby joining in with whoops of their own. 

“That was great!” Lex exclaimed. 

Mark kissed them. “It was. Thank you for suggesting we come today; it was a lovely day.” 

“Thank you for agreeing to come with me,” Lex replied, then more-reluctantly added, “…I guess we gotta get the car packed back up and head home now. I’ll fold all the towels and stuff up.” 

“Okay. I’ll carry up the big stuff.” He turned on his flashlight, looking for stray small things before Lex got to the blanket, but they’d done an okay job packing things before it got so dark. 

—

Before they brought the last load up to the car, Lex lingered, staring out at the ocean one last time. The moon was up, illuminating the slowly dispersing amorphous cloud of smoke the fireworks show had left. 

“Whatcha thinking?” Mark asked, causing Lex to glance back at him.

“Oh, nothing much. Just taking it in. I guess I’m reluctant to end the day, and it’s beautiful.” 

Mark had an idea. He hopped over the stuff on the ground, and once he reached a now-curious Lex, pulled them into a romantic kiss under the moonlight. He felt them smiling even into the kiss, their hands resting gently on his arms. 

Lex was pretty sure this was just his spontaneous cherry on top for the end of the day, but it had the effect of reminding them that as fun as the day had been, their favorite part of it would be coming home with them. All of a sudden they were looking forward to snuggling up in bed with him and getting some sleep. 

They stood for an extra few moments, gazing more at each other than the scenery. “We can come back sometime,” Mark offered. He’d enjoyed himself, too. 

Lex hadn’t lost their smile as they picked up their share of the last load of stuff. “I’d like that. …I love you so much, Mark.”

—

Most of the other cars had cleared out by the time they tried to leave, so they got out onto the highway quickly enough. It was fairly late, as the fireworks show had started after summer sunset and been quite robust. They were both tired from the excitement of the day. 

Lex didn’t mean to fall asleep and leave the Actor to drive alone, but they did, head falling softly against their seatbelt. 

The Actor had known it was coming but decided to let them rest instead of asking them to stay up with him. He was tired but not sleepy, so he didn’t feel it was dangerous, and the radio was playing quietly which gave him something to focus on. They were more than halfway home, anyway. He was able to appreciate the calm. 

It had been a day well spent. 

Back at the manor, he pulled the car into the garage, and Lex didn’t wake even at the sound of the door being raised or when the lights came on in the cabin. 

Really, nothing needed to be carried in tonight. Everything would need to be washed, and that wouldn’t get done until morning, anyway, and there was no hurry to put things away. So the Actor left it all, gently unbuckling his love and picking them up with some difficulty. They stirred, then, barely. 

“Are we home?” they asked, slurred with sleep. 

The Actor pressed a kiss to their head. “Yes. We’re just going to sleep; you don’t have to get up.”

“Oh,” Lex murmured, asleep enough to accept this at first, but several moments later stirred again, causing the Actor to stop or risk dropping them. “Wait, wait… gotta shower. Salt. Sunscreen,” they mumbled. 

He shifted, carefully setting them on their own feet as they rubbed their eyes. “Alright, my love. I left all the stuff in the car; we can get it tomorrow.” 

Lex acknowledged this, and when they reached the bedroom, quickly hopped into the shower. The Actor figured it would be enough to just wash his face, so in just a few minutes, the both of them were in comfortable pajamas and climbing into bed, ready for a good night’s sleep in each others’ arms.


End file.
